Stage 1 English: Intertextual TaskSACE ID: 595936E

Transformative Text:
Fahrenheit 451 Screenplay

1. INT. SMALL BOOKSTORE, DAY

DIEGETIC MUSIC: Smile by Nat King Cole
It is a dull, overcast day. The camera focuses on a small window, watching rain spit from the grey clouds
shadowing the quiet street, making the store feel warm and comforting. Camera cuts to an old record player in
the foreground showing an out of focus overview of the store. Music is interrupted as a bell rings, bringing the
camera into focus to show the door opening and a delivery man walking in. He approaches the desk, placing
down the latest newspaper. Camera changes to above shot showing the front page.
TITLE READS: CONGRESS ENFORCES NEW LAW – ALL BOOKS TO BE BURNED
Camera pans to a young librarian, EVELYN, picking up the paper in disbelief. Her eyes grow wide scanning the
words as she rapidly flicks through pages. Camera zooms in on a second subtitle as EVELYN mutters the words
under her breath.
CAPTION: Federal government passes new law that forbids the reading and possession of all forms of
written text. President declares it the first of series to technologically advance the nation as one. All
books must be handed into nearest police station or destroyed immediately. Failure to comply with
these requirements will have serious consequences.
Camera changes to point of view from EVELYN’s perspective scanning the hundreds of books surrounding her.
EVELYN briefly pauses, taking a deep breath before leaving the desk and walking down the first aisle of books.
She carefully chooses one off the shelf, camera changes to close shot focusing on the book title.
TITLE: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
EVELYN holds it close to her chest, moving onto the next aisle. The process repeats, books filling EVELYN’s
tired arms with each and every shelf. As she moves, she gently brushes her fingers across each spine. Camera
focuses on EVELYN’s face watching tears silently stream from her eyes.
EVELYN (whispering): I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve this.
Camera changes to wide shot, birds eye view perspective showing the entirety of the small store from above,
watching EVELYN slowly move from shelf to shelf. She makes her way back to the desk unable to physically
carry any more. Opening her arms, the books spill out onto the table. EVELYN looks anxiously at the novels. Her
eyes dart to a small handbag under the desk, then back to the books. Eyes welling up with tears once more, she
realises all the books will never fit. EVELYN sits at the desk with her head in her hands. Camera cuts to above
shot of desk as she reluctantly picks through the books, reading each blurb slowly and carefully. Eventually three
books sit perfectly aligned on the desk, the rest pushed aside.
THREE BOOK TITLES READ: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, A Brief History of Time by
Stephen Hawkings, A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
EVELYN looks at her selection, finally picking up the three and hiding them in her bag. She looks at the
remaining books on the desk with despair.
EVELYN: I can’t remember all of you, but I will try.
She rushes back to her seat, opening the nearest book. Her eyes dart between words while hands flick through
pages with urgency, trying to attain as much as possible, unsure of how little time she has. Camera cuts to a
wide shot behind EVELYN sitting in the foreground, facing the store. The street outside can be seen through the
small display window in the background. Scene speeds up to a time lapse as the sun is seen setting outside the
window. The sky changes from grey to pink to black, as EVELYN remains reading at the desk, working her way
through a selection of science to Shakespeare.

2. INT. SMALL BOOKSTORE, NIGHT

Sirens beginning wailing in the distance, bringing the speed into real-time and changing the camera back to
EVELYN. She lifts her head to the noise, unaware of how much time has passed. Placing down the book in her
hands, she stands and walks to the record player. The vinyl starts spinning as she turns on the player, aligning
the arm and lowering the needle.
MUSIC: Smile by Nat King Cole
EVELYN turns up the volume and returns to the desk, picking up the next book. Sirens remain quietly heard
under the music. Camera cuts to a close up of EVELYN’s face. A small smile lifts the corner of her lip, tears fall
slowly down her cheeks.

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Stage 1 English: Intertextual TaskSACE ID: 595936E

CAMERA CUTS TO BLACK SCREEN: MUSIC AND SIRENS FADE – SCENE ENDS

Word count: 757

Writer’s Statement:
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 highlights the censorship and elimination of freedom
of thought in the modern world through the prohibition of books and reading. This
screenplay aims to capture the devastating moment in which a bookstore owner
discovers the new laws forbidding the thing she loves the most. The society that
Bradbury portrays in the novel has voluntarily given up books and reading, creating
the impression that the people do not feel oppressed or censored. I wanted to
contrast this assumption and create a scene that depicts the moment in which
Evelyn subtlety fights against this oppression and refuses to give up her freedom.
Moreover, this suggests how she, like Faber, Granger, the Old Woman and
eventually Montag will take up the plight to preserve and remember books.

The scene begins focusing on the setting of the “dull, overcast day” through the
window. This dreary, foreboding weather suggests the upcoming devastating news
announcement, as well as contrasting with the “warm and comforting” store.
Furthermore, the inside description reflects the owner’s comfort and safety she finds
within the pages of the books and the bookstore itself.

The imagery of the newspaper being placed on the desk then provides context to the
time and place of the moment, providing clarification that my screenplay takes place
before the events of the novel. It is not specified in Fahrenheit 451 when these laws
were enforced or how much time has since passed, but rather the consistent theme
remains in which individuals cannot remember any other way of living. As a result, I
do not specify what decade this story takes place in but instead leave it up to the
readers imagination.

As Evelyn reads on, she further discovers the context of these new laws. The
emotive language of “first of series to technologically advance the nation as one”
refers to the advanced technology depicted in the novel, such as the seashell radio
and parlour walls taking priority over books and knowledge.

I chose the symbolic description of Evelyn “gently brush[ing] her fingers across each
spine” to suggest her way of individually saying goodbye to each story and sharing a
physical connection with as many books as possible. The significance of this action
also demonstrates the gentleness and tranquillity of her character.

Minimal dialogue is shown throughout the screenplay, holding relevance to Evelyn’s

gentle demeanour and actions. One of the only times she does speak aloud is
through her apology to the books, whispering “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You didn’t
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Stage 1 English: Intertextual TaskSACE ID: 595936E

deserve this.” This indirectly personifies the books and portrays her compassion and
genuine remorse for these stories, also drawing connection to Faber’s book
personification in Fahrenheit 451 of “This book has pores. It has features. This book
can go under the microscope. You'd find life under the glass, streaming past in
infinite profusion.”

Furthermore, the description of “her eyes dart to the small handbag under the desk,
then back to the books” uses foreshadowing to suggest that the books will not fit,
additionally establishing Evelyn’s sorrow through the suggestion of how vast and full
the bookstore is itself.

I specifically selected the three books that were mentioned, Nineteen Eighty-Four by
George Orwell, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawkings, and A Hundred Years
of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, through subtle symbolism as they depict
similar themes occurring in the events of the screenplay. This includes scientific
thought, technological advancement, human connection, invasive government
control, historical denialism, and falsification.

The portrayal of the sun setting during the time lapse is symbolic of the scene calmly
coming to an end. Evelyn’s journey with her books can be compared metaphorically
with the setting sun through indicating the completion of a passage and an
inescapable end to an era.

Furthermore, I used the dialogue of “I can’t remember all of you, but I will try” to
directly reference what Granger and Montag go on to become in the outer edges of
town – travelling nomads who wish to preserve books. This foreshadows the idea
that Evelyn could become of the first individuals who memorises novels, not
dissimilar to what Granger and Montag become many years later.

Finally, the song Smile by Nat King Cole that plays in both the opening and closing
scene deeply contrasts the devastating despair and sadness Evelyn is experiencing.
In the closing scene, Evelyn smiles as she remembers the beauty of books which
contrasts the tears running down her face as she recognises this will all soon be
gone. This also draws relation to the lyric “smile though your heart is aching, smile
even though it’s breaking” which directly portrays Evelyn’s emotions and experience
throughout this scene.

Word count: 774